Sacramento daily record-union., 1887-08-13
OLDER THAN THE NATION.
Uncle Billy Whitley, Once a Subject O
George Ill, Still Celebrates.

Uncle Billy Whitley, Once a Subject of
George Ill, Still Celebrates.
Stanly county celebrated the "Glorious
Fourth to-day as she never did before.
says letter from Norwood, N. c. A grand
celebration was held at Rocky River
Springs, themselves more than one hun
dred years old, and from all parts of the
country, with large representation from
other counties, the people came deter
mined to spend the day in way appropri-
ate to the occasion. The central figure of
the celebration was VIM. Whitley, ma
tive and resident of Stanly county, and
probably the oldest man in the Uuited
States.
lndlsputable proof shows that he is 1l2
years old, having been born in 1775, and
few years ago began cutting his third set
OF teeth, five of which have now appeared.
Previous to this he had lost all of his sec
ond set, not single one remaining, and
the five that have since appeared show
they are not the remains of old teeth, and
are of softer material than ordinary teeth.
During the present year Mr.. Whitney has
done considerable amount of farm work,
and walks about with as much ease as
most men 40 years his junior His father
died during the Revolutionary War, and
Uncle Billy" as he is familiarly called,
distinctly remembers seeing some of the
American soldiers during the struggle.
In 1903, at the age of 33 years, he mar
ried, and his wife lived until 1881. when
she died at the age of l01 years.
Uncle Billy had been expected to relate
to the audience some of the most import
ant events of his life. but his voice was too
weak to be heard distinctly, and he re-
quested Rev. C. H. Martin to perform the
task for him. Mr.. Martin said:
g If this venerable patriarch we're simply
to sit here on this rostrum, without utter
ing word, it would be a far more elo-
quent address than / can make. Here sits
man who was born subject of King
George ILL.,; man who lived before the
birth of American liberty and the estab-
lishment of American Government man
who for l12 years has lived life of hon
est integrity and truthfulness, and every
hair upon his head speaks with tongue
more eloquent than mine"
The speaker then in clear and forcible
language impressed upon the audience the
Importance of reverence for old age, espe-
cially when it is the reward of a well-spent
life. He then held up to view an old
pocket-book, which he said was probably
the Oldest one in North Carolina, having
been owned and used by Mr.. Whitley's
father before the Revolution. An old
fiint-lock musket which man named
Castles had carried through the Reyolu-
tionary War up to the surrender of Corn
wallis at Yorktown, was then produced.
This gun fell into the hands of Mr.. Whit
ley just after the close of that struggle,
when he was about 10 years old, and has
been used by him ever since. Said the
speaker:
al will deliver the message of Uncle
Billy He can not stay here much longer.
He has been serving his Maker for more
than sixty years, and says he will rejoice
when the time comes for him t. depart
and be with God. 1t will not be long be-
fore God will call one of His angels and
say, Go, with a cohort of bright angels
down to Stanly county and conduct my
aged servant to glory. And before you
reach him strike your harps of gold and
salute his ears with strains of heavenly
music, and when his spirit takes its flight
bear it hither on angels pinions.' The
message this aged patriarch, whose head is
silvered with the frosts of 112 winters, asks
me to deliver to this audience is: Prepare
10 meet your COO.
AT the close of Mr.. Martins address Mr..
Whitley was requested to fire off his
musket, which he proceeded to do, after
which the audience rent the air with DEAF
ening cheers for the man whose life began
before our great nation existed.
Captive's Triumph.
The Rev. Fairweather, of Orizoba, ILL.,,
III Al. ell !
pened few days ago while riding over
his circuit in the vicinity of Clifton
Bridge, in that State: Riding along
quietly on horseback over a rough road,
and looking ahead, he observed large
gray eagle take its flight from a neighbor-
ing hill. 1t appeared to have something
in its talons, but the circuit-rider could
not distinguish the object. Stopping his
horse, however, he watched the majestic
bird as it circled around and around in its
upward flight until it reached hight
where it appeared as mere speck. He
was about to begin his journey when he
thought he observed the bird begin to de-
scend. Slowly it lessened the distance be-
tween it and the earth, and it appeared
to be struggling with something 1t
came nearer and nearer the ground until,
when within hundred feet of it, the bird
seemed to lose any further use of its wings,
and fell to the earth dead. The observer,
whose curiosity was now thoroughly
aroused, hurried TO the fallen bird to learn
the trouble, which was quickly explained
by the sight of large blacksnake which
at that moment was uncoiling itself from
around the eagles neck, and was prepar-
ing to crawl away. The preacher quickly
dismounted and killed his snakeship with
a long club, and triumphantly marched
into town with both the snake and the
eagle to substantiate the truth of the
singular story he was about to tell The
eagle, it appears, had tried to carry off the
snake to some secluded spot and make
meal of him, but the former, coiling HIM
self around the neck of the bird, efiectu-
ally strangled the latter in his terrible EN-
brace. The eagle was male bird, and
was the largest ever seen in that section.
The snake measured six feet and nine
inches in length.
BRONCHITIS Sudden changes of the
weather cause Bronchial troubles. Browns